


The Upside

by justawriter252



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Drama & Romance, Emotional, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Faberry, Family, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, G!P, Girl Penis, Girl Penis Quinn Fabray, Glee - Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Marriage, Quinn Fabray - Freeform, Sex, Smut, brittana, rachel berry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:13:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23461546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justawriter252/pseuds/justawriter252
Summary: Quinn is living the life that she once thought was only a fairytale. She has a great career, beautiful wife, and four beautiful children. It seems as though her life is perfect..until a visit from a stranger reminds her that fairytales are not real.
Relationships: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray, Santana Lopez/Brittany S. Pierce
Comments: 28
Kudos: 73





	1. Secrets

I feel familiar lips placing light kisses on my body. Lips I've felt and loved since I was sixteen years old. Lips of the most incredible woman to ever walk this earth. I have been privileged enough to have her love for the last nineteen years. Nineteen years of unconditional and unwavering love, love that people make movies and write stories about. A love that I never thought I was even capable of accepting or understanding.

Let me make sure I'm clear, everything wasn't a fairytale. With Rachel being a diva and me being stubborn, it caused for a very difficult relationship at times. We loved hard and we fought even harder. Fortunately for us, through all of the fights, arguments, and break ups we never lost sight of we wanted. To spend the rest of our lives loving each other and in the midst of our epic love we created four beautiful and wonderful children.

Everything in our lives has been going great for us. Rachel has been the biggest star in Hollywood for the last ten years and I'm doing pretty well for myself as Chief of Surgery of the number one hospital in the country. I'm so proud of how far the both of us have come from trying to escape Lima, Ohio to now living our dreams in Beverly Hills, California.

"So how long are you going to pretend to be asleep?" Her beautiful sultry voice whispers into my ear, her breath slightly tickles my ear.

"As long as you continue to kiss me." I hear a small laugh and now I feel her soft lips pressed against mine.

I open my eyes and see my beautiful wife sitting on top of me, straddling my hips.

"I must be the luckiest woman in the world to wake up to The Rachel Berry in my bed." I brush her hair out of her eyes with my fingers.

"Not as lucky as I am." Rachel leans down and places another kiss on my lips.

"Good morning my love." I say as her lips are still slightly pressed against mine.

"Good morning baby." She kisses me again, this one more passionate than the others. I play with the top of her underwear with one hand while I use the other to deepen the kiss but she pulls away.

"Quinn honey, we are not going to start something we can't finish."

"Oh Rachel you know I can be quick." I place my hands under her shirt to caress her perky breast but she quickly removes my hands.

"The last time you said that I was almost late to my own movie premiere." Rachel quickly responds.

"But we still made it and that's what's important."

"Quinn Fabray you're so bad." She teases.

"Only for you babe." I flip us over and it takes her completely by surprise.

Looking down at Rachel and she looks just as beautiful as the day I met her. Rachel takes her hand and traces the side of my face, her eyes staring directly into mine.

"I love you, Quinn Fabray."

"I love you too, Rachel Berry-Fabray." I lean down and interlock my lips with hers. Her soft lips melt against mine and instinctively she pulls me in closer deepening the kiss.

I let my tongue slide into her mouth and I can taste her sweet minty tongue on mine. I let my hands travel down her slim body until I get to my favorite place, her breathing hitches once I pull her panties to the side and trace my thumb over her clit. The wetness I feel on my thumb and the way she is writhing under me causes my penis to get hard against my boxers. I detach my lips from hers and the frustrated moan that escapes her lips is so sexy.

"Why did you stop?" She questions me with a frustrated look on her face.

"Because my tongue will be more useful between your legs."

I kiss her neck, working my way down to her chest..now down to her stomach. I hear Rachel let out a small moan in anticipation as I continue to work my way further down to her panties. I pull her panties to the side, my penis getting harder as I go in for my first taste.

"WAHHH!" Crying from the baby monitor stops me right in my tracks.

"Uh..Lily must be hungry or needs her diaper changed." Rachel flops her head back in frustration, cock blocked once again by my own child.

I get off of Rachel and she climbs off the bed and puts on clothes while I lay on the bed waiting for my boner to go down.

"I'll wake up the rest of the bunch." I tell my wife. I definitely won't be getting any morning sex today.

"Okay." Rachel gives me a quick kiss before running out of the room.

I put on a pair of pajamas then head down the hall to wake the kids up for school. I open the boys bedroom door and they are sleeping peacefully in their beds. Our sons Liam and Lexington are identical twins yet they are completely different from each other. Lexington seems to have more of my personality while Liam is a splitting image of Rachel. The two of them can be a handful at times but they are the most loving and caring little boys you could ask for.

Turning on the lights in the room and their small bodies begin to stir under the blankets.

"Liam and Lexington wake up, it's time to get ready for school." Neither one of them make an effort to get out of their beds, instead they sink further underneath their blankets.

"Lexington and Liam wake up!" Still nothing.

"Okay, since you guys won't wake up for school I'll just have to go and get the tickle monster!" The tickle monster always gets the boys right out of their beds. As my fingers tickle the bottom of their small feet, both of them laugh and squirm around in their beds, my tickling too much for them to handle.

"Okay mama!" Both Liam and Lexington say at the same time, peeking their curly blonde heads from under the blankets.

"You sure I can put the tickle monster away?"

"Yes mama we are up now." Liam says. They pull the blankets off of them and climb out of their bunk beds.

"Alright let's go wash those cute little faces." The boys follow me into the bathroom, I place them on top of the bathroom counter near the sink.

"Mama when are we going to hand out our birthday invitations, I want to give one to Tommy and Mason." Crap I completely forgot to pick up the boys birthday invitations for their party in two weeks.

"I'm going to pick them up today and you can hand them out to all of your friends tomorrow."

"Yes!" Liam and Lexington high five each other, they are just so cute.

"I can't believe you two are going to be seven years old already. My little babies are growing up too fast, I just want you to stay small forever." Seems like it was just yesterday that Rachel and I found out that she was having twins. Rachel and I were so excited because we'd always wanted twins, Rachel especially. In high school whenever we would talk about our future children Rachel always said she wanted twins, one that had her personality and one that had mine. Now they are almost seven years old and I just wish that time would slow down, just a little.

"But we want to get bigger mama, I don't want to stay small forever." Liam expresses.

"Yeah mama I want to get big so I can play basketball in the NBA." Lexington proclaims.

"Aww I know but it's just going by too fast for mama." I kiss the both of them at the top of their heads.

"Mama."

"Yes Liam?"

"I don't want to be a teenager."

I can't help but chuckle at this comment. "Why Liam?"

"Because they all act like Beth."

"And what's wrong with your big sister?"

"She's a brat." Liam and Lexington say in unison.

I can't really disagree with them there, Beth has definitely been very bratty lately but she's a teenage girl with lots of emotions and I can admit although I wasn't as bratty as Beth, I definitely had a bad attitude at times.

"Your sister is just going through a phase right now but she will grow out of it."

"Well I hope she grows out of it soon, it's annoying." Says Lexington.

"Just remember that no matter how much your sister annoys you, she's your big sister and she loves you and will always have your back, okay?"

They nod their heads in understanding.

"Alright now let's get you all cleaned up."

I get the boys washed and dressed in their uniforms and send them downstairs for breakfast. Walking inside Beth's room and surprisingly she isn't there, can't believe she actually woke up on her own today. 

I enter the kitchen after showering and getting dressed for work. I can hear the voice of our oldest going on another early morning rant.

The boys are sitting at the kitchen table already enjoying their breakfast while Rachel is standing by the island with Lily in her arms watching Beth as she paces back and forth.

Beth is our beautiful first born, piercing hazel eyes and long blonde hair which she has in a ponytail just like I used to wear as a Cheerio.

"And what's this rant about?" Lily reaches out for me as I come up next to Rachel, so I take her out of Rachel's arms.

"She thinks it's unfair that she's not allowed to date." Rachel whispers as Beth continues to go off on her rant.

"Interesting."Beth continues on while I play with Lily in my arms. Our adorable and sweet one year old daughter Lily Grace. She doesn't give me attitude or back talk she just looks up at me with her beautiful hazel eyes and god her little chubby cheeks are everything. She puts her small fingers in my mouth and I pretend to nibble on them and it makes her laugh.

"Mama!" Beth's voice interrupts my thoughts.

"Yes Elizabeth?"

"How is it fair that all of my friends are allowed to date but I can't." Even with the frustrated look on her face I swear Beth is the spitting image of me. With hands on her hips and a scowling expression on her face, not only has she inherited my looks but also my attitude.

"Well that's a simple answer." I clear my throat for dramatic effect. "Because you are our daughter and we set the rules for you and everyone who lives in this house. We are not your friends parents, we are yours and our rule is no dating until you turn seventeen. That's not going to change unless your mother and I decide otherwise. It will have nothing to do with what your friends can and can't do because I could care less."

"That's so not fair." Beth rolls her eyes at me and crosses her arms around her chest.

"Well Beth life isn't fair and the way you've been acting lately, has only further convinced me that you're not mature enough to be in a relationship. Your mother and I have made our decision and it gets dropped right here. Now sit down and eat your breakfast, it's way too early for your attitude."

Beth looks at Rachel expecting help but of course my wife doesn't. We've already discussed that we need to put our foot down with Beth since her attitude seems to be getting worse lately.

"Fine." Beth finally says, giving me another eye roll before sitting down at the table with her brothers.

I use my free hand to check the time on my watch.

"Alright boys we are leaving in ten minutes."

I have to drop off the boys at school before heading to the hospital, Beth has her own car and drives herself to school every morning.

Rachel places a plate of food and a cup of coffee on the island in front of me.

"Thanks babe."

"You're welcome." Rachel gives me a sweet kiss on the lips.

With Lily in my arms I alternate between feeding myself and feeding Lily Grace the bowl of banana yogurt Rachel prepared.

"So what do you have planned for today babe?"

"Well I have one interview in a couple of hours but after that I'll probably just stay home and work on the album."

"Any progress?" The last time I asked Rachel about her album she had only written one song in four months.

"Absolutely not and the label expects a completed album in four months. I don't know what's wrong with me, I haven't had a problem with writing songs since high school. I'm just not feeling inspired to write anything and this whole album is just going to be a complete flop." Rachel has been stressing about this album since she started working on it. Ten straight years of being at the top and Rachel is still just as passionate and driven as she was in Glee Club. She never settled for anything less than perfection.

"Babe stop, your album is not going to flop. You've always managed to finish your albums on time and they always come out amazing." Rachel smiles but doesn't seem convinced.

"Come here." I switch Lily over to my hip and pull Rachel in close to me so that we are now chest to chest.

"Remember how stressed out we were trying to conceive Lily. A full year of our sex life being planned and scheduled. We did all that planning yet nothing happened until we took that spontaneous trip to Anguilla and made love all weekend without any set schedules or redundant sexual positions. A month later and voilà, you were pregnant."

Rachel gives me a suspicious look."So are you saying that a spontaneous trip to a secluded island to have nonstop sex, is the only way for me to get free of my writer's block?"

"Although that wouldn't be a bad idea. I'm just saying that magic happens when you least expect it. So stop stressing and worrying about some deadline and just let the songs come to you. You're Rachel Berry and there is nothing that can stop you."

Rachel takes me by surprise and kisses my lips. "I love you so much, you always know the right things to say."

"Some would call it a gift." I joke.

"Oh really."

"Mhmm." I pull Rachel in for another kiss, wrapping my arm tightly around her waist. Rachel sneaks her fingers into my hair deepening our kiss.

"Eww can you two not do that in front of us, it's so gross." Beth's words cause Rachel to pull away and I instantly miss her lips. I will be away from my wife for twelve hours and I don't think I'm asking for much by wanting to make out with her in my own kitchen.

"Beth sweetie there is nothing gross about love." Rachel says.

"Exactly babe." I give Rachel a quick and gentle kiss.

"Also Beth, how do you think you got here huh? Your mom and I were doing a lot more than just kissing."

"Quinn!" Rachel smacks my arm.

"Mama!" Beth looks mortified. So dramatic.

"What it's true."

"Mom I don't know how you deal with her." Beth questions.

"She's charming and easy on the eyes so it makes her just a little bearable." Rachel jokes.

I can think of another reason but right now it would be inappropriate to bring up.

"Anyway let's get going boys, say goodbye to your mom and sisters."

The twins grab their backpacks from behind their chairs before giving Beth a quick high five and blowing Lily Grace goodbye kisses.

"Bye mom, I love you." Lexington walks up to Rachel to say goodbye, followed by Liam.

"Love you too Lexington and I love you Liam." Rachel hugs them both and gives them kisses on their forehead.

"Have a great day at school."

"We will." Lexington and Liam say.

"Alright I'll meet you in the car." The twins run out of the kitchen and race each other to the car.

"So I'll see you tonight, hopefully if everything goes as planned I will be done by eight."

"Okay." Rachel takes Lily Grace out of my arms.

"Also, try to save some energy for me Dr. Fabray. We still have some unfinished business." Rachel kisses me and gives my bottom lip a bite.

God this woman.

"I'll have more than enough energy, don't you worry."

"Good, I'll see you tonight." Rachel gives me another quick sensual kiss.

Lily Grace stares at me with her big brown eyes.

"Bye bye Lily Grace, mama loves you." I plant a big sloppy kiss on her chubby cheeks which she loves so much, it always makes her laugh.

I go over to Beth and place a kiss on top of her head.

"You know I love you right Beth?" After our little argument this morning I don't want to leave with tension still between Beth and I.

"Of course mama, I love you too." Beth gives me a reluctant smile. Clearly she's still a little upset but I know a part of her understands that everything we do is because we love her.

"Alright, I'm leaving. Text me or call my office if you need anything. Love you guys."

I grab my things and rush out the door, ready take on whatever the day throws at me.

—-

"Make sure we have his neck stabilized!"

My first trauma patient of the day, a thirty-eight year old male hit by a car while riding his motorcycle. He's having trouble breathing and complaining of pain in his upper chest and back. This might sound horrible for me to say but I was so happy when the trauma call came through. My day has been filled with nothing but paperwork and yelling at interns. Now I finally get some action and besides my family, nothing makes me more happy than the chaos of a trauma. Everything is so intense but also methodical, controlled chaos is what we like to call it.

"My chest is killing me!" The patient yells, trying to rip off his oxygen mask. I feel around his upper chest and he screams out in pain. I can feel air trapped between his ribs and lungs, it has to be a collapsed lung.

"He has a collapsed lung on his left side, we need to put in a chest tube." The nurses and other doctors around me move quickly as we work on the patient.

"Sir, what's your name?"

"James..my name is James." He struggles to get his name out.

"Hello James my name is Dr. Fabray. Due to the impact of the crash you have a collapsed lung and broken ribs. Now I know that sounds scary but you have the best doctors and nurses working on you right now. The broken ribs you don't need to worry about but we need to take care of that collapsed lung immediately. To do that I need to place a tube inside your chest to inflate your lungs. I'm going to be honest with you, it's a very painful process."

"Oh god no!" James panics and tries to remove his mask once again.

"James calm down, it's going to be okay I promise. Once we get this tube inside your chest you're going to feel so much better. We have to do this or you are going to die. So I want you to hold onto my hand and squeeze as hard as you need to. Yell as loud as you need to but I have to get this tube inside your chest."

He looks up at me with a pain expression. "Okay doc, do what you got to do." James tells me through strangled breathing. He grabs a hold of my hand and squeezes tightly.

"Okay let's get ready to put in the chest tube." I announce it to the rest of the team.

I quickly clean the wound and use a local anesthetic to numb the area. I make a two centimeter incision through the skin and now the easy part is over.

"Alright James here comes the tube, 1..2..3."

"AHHHH!"

—-

After getting James stable I had multiple trauma patients and after about seven hours I am finally able to take my lunch. I get to my office and I send Rachel a quick text to remind her to pick up the twins birthday invitation just before I dig into my lunch.

Two soft knocks come at my office door.

"Come in."

The door opens and in walks my best friend Santana Lopez, a pink lunch box in her hand and a flustered look on her face.

"I just came from removing a knife lodged in a guy's head. Him and his idiot friends spent the afternoon drinking beer and recreating fight scenes from action movies. One idiot ends up stabbing his idiot friend in the head with a kitchen knife and somehow misses every major artery. I safely removed the knife and he's getting discharged in a couple of hours. Meanwhile my twelve year old hit and run victim died during surgery this morning. She's dead after doing something as innocent as walking to the bus stop, what fucking sense does that make." Santana flops down on my couch throwing her lunch box on the table.

"I'm sorry to hear about your patient Santana. I learned a long time ago that life rarely makes sense."

"So why do we do it? Why do we put ourselves through this day after day after day." Santana leans her head back against the couch.

"Because it's the lives we save that make it all worth it. Just like when you treated Tracy and every other surgeon said that her brain tumor was inoperable and gave her only a year to live. You being the badass surgeon you are, got the tumor out and now her kids don't have to grow up without a mother. That's why we do it, because we save more lives than we lose."

Santana nods her head in agreement. "You're right Q, it's just sometimes this job gets to me."

Santana has a reputation amongst the interns and residents as being stern and cold but the exact opposite when it came to her patients.

"It does get rough but that's why we are here for each other. You keep me centered and I do the same for you."

Santana has been my best friend since elementary school and we've been through everything together. After college we both went to medical school, I went to medical school in New York and Santana went to school in California. We were ecstatic when we got the job at UCLA Medical Center together. Just ten years later Santana and I are leading the charge. Santana the Chief of Neurosurgery and I the Chief of Trauma & Surgical Care.

"So how's Rachel and the kids?" Santana asks, taking her food out of a pink hello kitty lunch box. I've never seen it before but I'm almost certain it has something to do with Santana's wife, Brittany.

"They're good, Rachel's working on her next album, Lexington and Liam are getting into anything and everything they can. Lily is still precious, and Beth is giving us hell." I dig my fork into the apple pecan salad I packed for lunch, my stomach is practically growling.

"Like mother, like daughter I see. I remember all the trouble you got into at fifteen. Even dying your hair pink like you were some bad-ass."

"First off I was a bad-ass and secondly if I remember correctly you were right with me getting into all of that trouble."

"And I regret nothing, think of all the fun we had being young and rebellious. Going to parties,almost getting arrested, sneaking out of the house, sneaking girls into the house."

Once Rachel and I started dating all of that stopped so don't judge me.

"Well that's exactly what I'm trying to keep Beth from. I need to keep her on the right path so she won't make the same dumb decisions I did. If I can get her graduated and off to college without a teen pregnancy, my mission is accomplished."

"Q, Beth is going to be fine. You and Rachel have raised her right, she's just being a hormonal teenager right now. All parents go through it, you just have to ride this wave."

"I'm trying but I hope this wave calms down soon because I'm really tired of the early morning rants."

Santana chuckles. "Now that she definitely gets from Rachel. I wonder how many hours we lost in glee club listening to Rachel rant about God knows what everyday."

"Hey that's my wife you're talking about and I found most of Rachel's rants not only adorable but valid."

"Of course you did, you were practically drooling over her every time she opened her mouth in Glee Club." Santana teases.

"And you were the same way with Brittany anytime she had a dance number to perform."

"You got me there."

"Speaking of Brittany, Rachel wanted me to invite you and Brittany to dinner on Friday. Rachel and the kids really miss Brittany and Jace being around."

"I know it's just been so hectic with Brittany off of maternity leave and me working these twelve hour shifts. We barely have time for each other and making time for family and friends has been impossible."

"Is everything okay?" This is the first time Santana has mentioned this to me.

"Between me and Britt? Oh yeah we're good, I just wish we could spend some alone time together."

"How about one day this week you let Rachel and I babysit Jace, give you and Brittany some alone time."

"Are you sure? You and Rachel already have a full house."

"Of course I'm sure, it's a win-win situation. You get some alone time with Brittany and I get to spend time with my handsome nephew."

Santana nods her head in agreement. "That would be just what Britt and I need, thanks Q."

"Of course."

My office phone rings, I check the caller I.D and see it's from the nursing station in the emergency room.

I quickly pick up the phone. "Hello Dr. Fabray speaking."

"Hello, Dr. Fabray, this is Angela Brown the charge nurse in the ER and we have a young man down here who's insisting on getting treated by you and only you."

Well that’s odd. “What are his injuries?"

"Seventeen years old crashed his motorcycle, no serious injuries, just some cuts and bruises. He has a deep cut on his forearm that will need stitches but other than that he's fine."

"Then why does he want to get treated by me?"

"I have no clue doctor but he insists on seeing you.”

"Alright, I will be down in a minute." I hang up the phone.

"What was that?" Santana asks.

"Some guy in the ER is refusing treatment unless it's from me. I'm going to go down to see what's going on."

"I'll come with you."

We take the elevator down to the emergency room. I see nurse Brown standing next to a young African American.

"Nurse Brown, I got it from here." I dismissed her so she could deal with other patients.

"Hello sir, my name is Dr. Fabray I’m the head of the trauma department and this is Dr. Lopez. I hear you asked for me by name, is there a reason why?"

The young man sitting on the bed has dark hazel eyes, light caramel skin, and short dark brown hair.

"Yeah..I..uhh..yeah." He seems very nervous as he stutters his words.

"Hey just take a deep breath, you're going to be fine. No broken bones or fractures, all you need is some stitches for the laceration on your forearm." My words don't seem to elevate his worry, he still looks very nervous but his eyes never leave mine.

"That's not why I'm nervous." Santana and I give each other a confused look, I'm starting to get nervous seeing how nervous he is.

"Then what is it?"

He clears his throat before he speaks. "My name is Jordan Baker and uh..I'm your son."

What In The Hell Is This Kid Talking About.

"Um Jordan I'm sorry but someone must have given you the wrong information because it's impossible for Quinn to be your mom." Santana speaks up for me before I could speak up for myself.

"Dr. Lopez is right, all of my kids are at home with my wife right now. Maybe you have me confused with Dr. Quincy Fabray from Sacramento, people get our names mixed up all the time."

"I'm not confused, there's not many people with your condition plus my mom gave me this picture of you." He digs into his pocket and hands me a folded up picture.

I begin to unravel the photo even though I know it's no way in the world this kid HOLY SHIT!

"Quinn what is it?" I didn't know I said the holy shit part out loud. Santana gives me a very quizzical and concerned look.

Holy Shit! Holy Shit! Breathe Quinn, calm down. Don't let him see you freaking the fuck out!

"Dr. Lopez can I talk to you in private for a moment. Jordan just give us one second we'll be right back." I hand him back the photo and grab Santana by her arm, dragging her down to the on call room and shutting the door behind us.

"What the hell Q, what's going on?" Santana commands.

"Santana, do you remember when you and I took that trip to Vegas our freshman year of college. It was right after Rachel broke up with me and you wanted to cheer me up."

"Yeah I remember, what about it?"

"Do you remember the girl I hooked up with that night, I think her name was Tia..no Nia."

"Kind of but that was almost eighteen years ago and...Holy shit!" Santana cups her hand over her mouth.

"Yeah holy shit!" I pace back and forth, my heart is beating like crazy. This can not be happening.

"Oh my god Q, it's no way."

My mind races back to that night. I'm one hundred percent sure we didn't use a condom because I didn't bring any with me not expecting to hook up with anyone. I know it was so irresponsible of me but I was young, drunk, heartbroken and horny. Still that doesn't mean he's my son, it could all be a crazy coincidence.

"Look there is no reason to panic right now, it's a simple solution. We get a DNA test today and find out the results tomorrow."

"You're right but fuck what if it's true. How am I going to tell Rachel and the kids." Pacing back and forth is the only thing keeping me from not passing out. "Oh my god I never told Rachel about that night, she asked me if I hooked up with anyone while we were broken up and I said no. I fucking lied and said no." She's going to kill me, she is literally going to kill me.

"Fuck Q." Santana runs her fingers through her jet black hair.

"Look you're going to have to just face this head on. You're going to go home tonight and just lay it all out. Tell her all about that night and hope she doesn't kill you."

"Santana please don't make jokes right now."

"I'm not joking, Rachel might actually kill you."

I give her a stern look, this is not what I need to hear right now.

"What I'm really trying to say is you're Quinn and Rachel you can get through anything. You just have to be honest with her."

Now that's much better.

"I hope you're right Santana." I take a couple of deep breaths to calm myself down. My heart beating at a rate too fast for me to count.

"I'm going to go down to the lab to see if Libby can perform the DNA test and rush the results."

"Thanks Santana."

Santana comes over and comforts me by rubbing my shoulders. "It's going to be alright Q, nobody's perfect."

Santana leaves out the room and after taking a few more deep breaths I do the same, I need to talk to Jordan.

I get the supplies from the medical cart before sitting down next to Jordan who is looking around confused.

"Hi."

"Hey." His hazel eyes meet mine.

"I'm going to clean your cut and stitch you up, if that's okay?"

"Yeah that's fine." He sits up straighter in the bed. His hands shaking slightly.

This is the most nervous I've ever been in my entire life. Here I am sitting across from a young man who could possibly be my son. What am I even supposed to say? I didn't learn about situations like this in college or medical school.

"I'm sorry about how I just left, I didn't mean to be rude. This is all just a lot to take in."

"I know, I've been preparing basically my whole life for this moment." He gives me a nervous smile and it's hard to ignore the similarities in his features and mine.

"So your mom, Nia right?"

"Yes, Nia Baker."

"Does she uh, know you're here?"

He looks down at his hands. "My mom actually passed away seven years ago. She gave me that picture of you before she died."

"Oh my god, Jordan I'm so sorry." I was not expecting to hear that.

"Yeah cancer is a bitch." He looks down at the picture in his hand. It's a picture of his mom and I on the Las Vegas strip, she was on my back with a big smile on her face. "It's okay though, it's something I've came to terms with a long time ago."

"What happened after your mom passed?"

"Well, my mom didn't have any family members that wanted to take me in so I was put in foster care. I've spent the last seven years being bounced around from foster homes to group homes. Finally when I turned seventeen a couple of months ago I was released from the system."

"Jordan I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that."

"It's okay, I'm tough."

He may be tough but I can still see the pain behind his eyes.

I have so many questions running through my mind."So how did you find me?"

"When I left the group home they gave me my birth certificate and your name was on it so I did my research to find you. I saved up enough money to buy an old motorcycle from a friend and drove here from Chicago, unfortunately I crashed my bike on the way here."

She put my name on the birth certificate..this is all getting too real. I just don't understand why didn't she try to find me? Why didn't she tell me she was pregnant and that I had a kid? If she really thought I mothered her child then why not inform me?

"This is going to burn a little but I need to clean the wound, this cut is pretty deep."

"Okay."

Cleaning the wound and stitching him up and he doesn't even flinch. Definitely a tough kid.

"I hope you know I had no idea about you, if I did I promise I would have been a part of your life. I would have done everything I could to be there for you."

"You don't have to explain anything to me, I already know."

"Okay..If you are my son I just don't want you to feel like I abandoned you."

"There is no if, my mom wouldn't lie."

"I'm not saying she did but sometimes people can be mistaken. Your mom and I were intimate but that doesn't automatically mean—."

"It does because my mom put you on the birth certificate. If you don't want anything to do with me that's fine but don't speak on my mother like you know her. If my mother put your name on that birth certificate it's because that's where it belonged." Jordan tries to get off the bed but I quickly push him back down.

"Wait a minute Jordan. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you and you're right I don't know your mom. All I'm asking is for a DNA test to put my mind at ease. I have a wife and four children who I am going to have to explain this to in the best way I can. A DNA test will just make the process much easier for everyone. I don't want there to be any doubt, especially when it comes to integrating you into the family."

"You want me to be a part of your family?"

"Of course, if you're my kid I want to be there for you."

"Why are you being so nice? This isn't really the reaction I was expecting." A perplexed expression written on his face.

"Because it's the right thing to do and family is the most important thing to me." I put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

He smiles at me and I smile back.

"So my friend Libby works down at the lab and she's going to come and take some DNA swabs from you. Are you sure you're okay with getting the test done?"

"Yes it's cool."

"Okay." I give his hand a gentle squeeze.

Libby takes us into a conference room and performs the DNA test. Never in my life would I have thought I would ever need to take a DNA test. Yet here I sit with cotton getting swabbed around my mouth. I don't even know how I'm going to handle all of this if Jordan is my son. It's going to completely change my life..our lives.

Jordan and I walk out of the conference room together. "So do you have a place to stay set up?"

"Not really, I was just going to wing it until I could make enough money to rent an apartment."

Well that's definitely not happening.

"I can't let you do that, you can just stay at my place while we figure all of this out." Even if he's not my son he's come all this way thinking he is. The least I can do is make sure he has a place to stay until everything is figured out.

"I couldn't ask you to do that, I don't want to make your wife and kids uncomfortable."

"It's fine, I have a spare bedroom and plenty of space. I'm not going to let you live on the streets, you can stay with me until we get the results. Once we get the results we will figure everything out from there."

Jordan gives me a questionable look. "Are you sure? I don't want you to feel like I came here to use you. I just wanted to meet you."

"That thought never crossed my mind."

"Okay." A nervous smile appears on his face.

"I don't get off of work for another two hours so you can either hang out in my office or go to the mall across the street."

"I'm sure I can find something to do."

"Okay, meet me at the entrance in two hours."

"Cool."

I spend the rest of the night doing my best to focus on my patients and my work without letting the craziness of the day distract me. I get finished with my rounds at around seven-forty five and wait for Jordan at the entrance of the hospital. I run into Santana as I'm exiting the building.

"So how did everything go with you and the kid?"

"It went okay, he's been through a lot. His mom passed away about seven years ago and he's been through foster care ever since. He saw my name on his birth certificate and decided to come look for me, so here we are."

"Damn Q, that's heavy."

"Yeah."

"Have you decided if you're going to tell Rachel tonight?"

"I have no choice, Jordan is coming home with me."

Santana looks at me as if I've lost my mind. "What? Quinn are you crazy, you don't know this kid."

"Santana, he could be my son."

"And it's a possibility that he isn't."

"He has nowhere else to go and as long as it's a possibility I'm not going to abandon him. He's already been through enough in his life and you can't tell me you don't see the resemblance. He looks just like me, tell me you don't see it.

"You're right Q, this is all just crazy."

"I know." I don't smoke but right now I wish I did.

"I'm terrified just thinking about how Rachel is going to react when I tell her."

"Yeah I'm almost certain it's not going to go well but if you need anything or just want to talk call me."

"Thanks Santana."

"Anytime, I'll see you tomorrow. Love you."

"Love you too."

I watch as Santana walks down the sidewalk into the parking lot, just missing Jordan as he walks up.

"Hey."

"Hey, what did you get into?"

"Went to check out this really cool bookstore I saw online."

"A seventeen year old kid that actually likes to read, that's something I didn't think it existed anymore."

"Yeah well, living on the south-side of Chicago and getting bounced around from foster home to foster home. Most of the time you need an escape from reality."

Looking into Jordan's eyes tells you all you need to know about the life he's lived. So much pain behind his eyes.

"I'm sorry." I feel compelled to say.

"Don't, I'm not trying to get any pity or sympathy."

"I'm not, I just—"

"Don't worry about it." The both of us just stand in front of each other for a few awkward seconds.

"So you ready to go?" I finally break the awkward silence.

"Yeah."

He follows me to the employee parking lot and to my car.

"Buckle up, safety first." I don't know why I just said that. I really hope I'm not going to be awkward this whole car ride home.

"Got it."

I turn the radio on, low enough so that if he wants to talk I can hear him but high enough that the silence isn't as noticeable.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He looks over at me with a downcast expression.

"What do you mean?"

"While I was in the bookstore I was thinking about how I'm just barging in on your life. You have a wife and kids, their whole lives are going to change in the snap of a finger. I don't want to cause problems for you and your family. I'm just some kid who for seventeen years you never knew existed, I can get out of this car right now and we can pretend that we never met each other."

Has this kid been hurt so much in his life that he thinks he shouldn't be loved or even cared for?

"The only place you're going is home with me. We all have our battles to fight and this just happens to be mine. I'm never going to run away from my responsibilities. Tomorrow we will get the results back and go from there."

"Okay." He nods his head in understanding.

We didn't talk the whole drive home, the music playing on the radio helps fill the void of the silence in the car.

We pull into the driveway and I stop to put the code in to my front gate.

"Damn is this your house?" His eyes widen as we drive through the gate and up the driveway.

"They don't have houses like this where I'm from."

I park my car in the garage and I can feel my stomach twisting and turning into knots. I have no clue how this conversation will go but I know it won't go well. I just hope that no matter what Rachel finds it in her heart to forgive me, I love my wife and I don't want to lose her.

I try to get out of the car but my body won't move, as if it knows that from this moment on my life will never be the same again.

"Are we going in?" Jordan asks.

I take one big inhale and one big exhale. Here goes nothing.


	2. It All Falls Down

RACHEL'S POV

Put the kids to bed, check. Heat up dinner for Quinn, check. Make sure Beth has done all of her homework, check. Quinn should be pulling into the driveway any minute now, I can't wait to tell her the exciting news. I've just been cast in the new James Bond movie with Idris Elba. We've been waiting months to hear back from the director and finally I got the call today. I know Quinn is going to be so excited for me, she's been my biggest cheerleader from the beginning. Even before we started dating, she would always tell me I was going to be a star one day and she never allowed me to give up on my dreams. She's been by my side through it all and I can't help but feel like the luckiest woman in the world to have Quinn in my corner.

I finally hear Quinn coming through the door. I take Quinn's dinner out of the oven and place it on the table with a glass of white wine.

"Baby I'm-" I turn around and see that Quinn is not alone. A tall young man is standing next to her, his arm seems to be all wrapped up in bandages.

"Quinn I didn't know we were having company tonight." I've never seen this young man before and it's very unlike Quinn to invite someone to our home without informing me first.

"Yeah I need to talk to you about that..This is Jordan and he will be staying with us tonight. Just let me get him settled in and I'll explain everything to you." Okay this is all very unusual, who is the kid and why is Quinn letting him stay with us. I mean don't get me wrong I don't mind helping people in need but to have him at our home is a little strange and concerning.

Quinn walks over to me and places a gentle kiss on my lips. The look in her eyes as she pulls away from me lets me know that something is wrong and I'm sure that the kid with her was the reason behind it. I have no clue what it could be but being with Quinn all these years I know when something is not right and honestly I'm a little scared.

I wait at the kitchen table for Quinn to return, I decide to pour myself a glass of wine to try and calm my nerves. Quinn enters the kitchen and sits down across from me, her hands shake a little as she takes a sip of her wine.

"Quinn please tell me what's going on. Who is Jordan and why is he staying with us. If he's homeless I have people I can call that would be more than willing to help. I just don't think it's a good idea to have a stranger in our home and you didn't even talk to me about it."

Quinn doesn't respond, she just takes another sip of her wine not even able to look me in the eyes.

"Baby please, talk to me." I reach across the table and take a hold of her hand. I've never seen Quinn like this and I can't even imagine what she's keeping from me.

Quinn finishes the rest of the glass of wine with one gulp.

"Rachel you know how much I love you right?"

"Of course I do Quinn and I love you too. Can you please just tell me what's going on." She's really starting to scare me now.

Quinn clears her throat a couple of times before she speaks."There's a possibility that um..that uh..there's a possibility that Jordan is my son."

I instantly drop her hand on the table. "Quinn that's not funny, you shouldn't make jokes like that."

"Rachel baby I'm not joking, it happened right after we broke up. It was just some random drunk hookup."

My heart drops to my stomach..This can't be real.

"But I asked you..I asked you if you had sex with anyone else and you told me no. You looked me in my eyes and told me no and I believed you."

"Baby I'm so sorry, you have no idea how sorry I am. I fucked up, I fucked up so badly and I know it."

I stand up and walk away from the table. How could this be possible, after nineteen years together how could something like this happen.

"How do you even know for sure that he's your son? Have you known all this time and kept it a secret from me?"

Quinn stands up and walks over to me."No of course not, I had no clue that he even existed until he showed up at the hospital today. You know I would never keep something like that from you."

"So how do you even know he's your son?"

"I don't know yet. We took a DNA test at the hospital and tomorrow we will get the results."

"So you don't even know if he's truly yours and yet you bring him to our home."

"My name is on the birth certificate Rachel and he looks just like me."

As much as my heart doesn't want it to be true my mind knows she's right. I noticed it as soon as they walked in together, the resemblance was too strong to ignore.

"If there is a small percentage that he's my child I can't just put him up in some hotel like I'm ashamed of him. It's not his fault that his mother and I were irresponsible. He's already been through a lot and it wouldn't be right for me to do that to him."

God Quinn and her big heart, I'm so upset with her and this whole situation but she's right..I'm not going to tell her that but she's right.

"So what now?" I ask.

"We wait for the results and go from there."

"Fine."

She tries to caress my face but I quickly slap her hands away. "Don't touch me."

"Rachel please."

"Don't you dare Quinn. For nineteen years I've been faithful and honest with you. I've never kept anything from you and here you are telling me something like this!"

"Rachel I love-"

"No, I do not want to hear those words coming from you. You lied to me Quinn. You looked me right in my eyes and lied to me!"

"I was young and dumb Rachel. I know it's not an excuse but I've never lied to you before or since then."

"You think that matters! Quinn, you could have a child with another woman!" Wow, saying it out loud just makes this so much more real.

"Oh my god, you might have a child with another woman." The anger I felt leaves and all that is left is sadness, disappointment and confusion.

"Rachel baby, I'm so sorry I-."

"I don't want him here when the kids wake up." I cut her off mid sentence, Quinn apologizing just makes me angry. The words "I'm sorry" doesn't cut it when you bring home a child.

"I don't want them to know about him until we are one hundred percent sure he's yours." I explain.

"Okay." Quinn whispers and the way she is looking at me just makes me want to hug her and cry together but she doesn't deserve that right now.

"Also, you should make yourself comfortable on the couch. I don't want you anywhere near me tonight."

I storm out of the kitchen and I can hear Quinn calling out my name but I ignore it. Right now I just need to go upstairs and cry my eyes out. My marriage has been flipped upside down and I don't know if it will ever be the same again.

—

**QUINN'S POV**

"So how did everything go with your wife last night?" Jordan asks as we sit eating breakfast at one of my favorite restaurants. I'm bringing Jordan to work with me today per Rachel's request.

"As expected she didn't take it too well." Understatement of the century.

"I'm sorry." His sincere eyes stare at me.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, it's not your fault."

"Well it kind of is."

"No it's not, the truth had to come out sometime. You're the innocent one in all of this."

He just shrugs his shoulders.

"So if the results come back like I think they are, how are you going to explain this to your kids?"

I have no idea how I'm going to explain any of this.

"Well it's going to be tough for them to understand but over time I'm sure things will get better. Just know that how everyone feels has everything to do with their disappointment in me and nothing to do with you."

"Sounds easier said than done. After being at your house for one night, I already feel like I don't belong."

"Why's that? Have I not been welcoming because-."

"It's not you, it's just I'm a black kid from Chicago. Now I'm going to be living in Beverly Hills with a bunch of rich white people. Who am I going to relate to?"

"There're plenty of black people in our community. Beverly Hills has become one of the most diverse counties in the country in the last ten years. It's not all just old rich white people anymore."

"I guess." He looks down at his plate and I can tell it's really bothering him.

"Look it's going to be a culture shock for you I'm sure but just try to keep an open heart and mind. You might meet people you really have a connection with and if you're ever feeling left out or unwelcome please tell me."

"Okay." He nods his head.

I have so many questions I want to ask him about his life, so many things I don't know about him.

"So tell me about yourself. What do you like, what sort of things are you into?"

He thinks about it for a few seconds before he speaks. "Well, I'm really into music and sports."

"Do you play any sports?"

"Yeah, I played basketball at my old high school and I was pretty good. I have some of my highlights on my phone if you want to see."

"Of course, show me." His face lights up as he digs into his pocket and pulls out his phone.

"These are my highlights from junior year." He hands his phone over to me

I press the play button on the screen and rap music begins to play accompanied by Jordan in his basketball uniform. The video is filled with Jordan flying through the air and dunking on top of people. He's absolutely incredible, I couldn't take my eyes off him. The crowd was cheering and chanting his name after every shot he made. I can't help feeling a little sad knowing I missed out on watching him play and being there in the stands to cheer him on. I wonder if he had anyone there for him.

"Wow Jordan you're really good." I do my best to shove down the sadness I'm feeling.

"Thanks." Jordan takes his phone back and places it on the table, a grin still stretched across his face. "Did you play any sports growing up?

"Yes actually, I was a cheerleader all four years of high school."

His eyes widened. "Really..interesting."

"What does that mean?"

He chuckles and puts his fork down on his plate. "You just look too serious to have been a cheerleader. I mean what's the surgery you said you were performing today?"

"Thoracic Aortic Dissection Repair."

"Right, doesn't sound like the type of person that used to do back handsprings and toe touches."

Oh this kid doesn't even realize who he's talking to. The name Quinn Fabray and the Cheerios means a lot in the cheer world.

"I will get up right now and do a cheer."

"You wouldn't." He laughs me off.

Oh he thinks I won't. "Don't let the white coat fool you."

I stand up out of my chair.

"Wait you're serious."

"Of course I am." I stretch out my arms and legs in preparation.

"Okay I take it back." He looks around the restaurant at the other patrons clearly feeling embarrassed.

"No, don't take it back now."

Jordan looks around the restaurant at all the eyes that are now on us.

"Alright I take it back, I'm sure you were the HBIC of cheerleading back in your day." He doesn't even know how accurate that statement is.

I smirk at him before sitting back down. Of course I really wasn't going to do a cheer in the middle of the restaurant but I'm sure I proved my point.

My phone beeps and I look down and see a text from Beth.

Wats going on with mom? She seems super sad..did you guys get into a fight?

I don't want to lie to Beth but I can't explain to her what's going on right now. I'll just ignore it for now and text Rachel instead to check in on her.

Before I can even pull up Rachel's name in my phone, I get a call from Libby.

"Hello."

"Good morning Dr. Fabray."

"Good morning Libby, I'm guessing you got the results back?" Jordan sits up in his chair and his attention is focused purely on me.

"Yes, I was able to get them back sooner than I thought."

"So what's the results?" I ask, both nervous and anxious.

Jordan looks just as anxious as I am feeling.

"Ninety-nine point nine percent genetic match, he is without a doubt your son." Libby tells me and I feel a weight I didn't know was there lifted off my chest.

"I'm going to email you the results so you can look them over yourself. I would tell you congratulations but I don't know if this is good news or not." Libby tells me and wow this is all really real now.

"It's great news." I respond quickly and I truly meant it. Having children is a blessing no matter the circumstances.

"Well congratulations then."

"Thank you Libby, I really appreciate you doing this for me."

"You're welcome Dr. Fabray, have a great day." Libby hangs up the phone.

"So what is it?" Jordan asks leaning forward against the table.

I exhale a deep breath that felt so good to let out. "We have a lot to catch up on..son."

—

RACHEL'S POV

Blueberry and plum citrus hit the back of my throat as I work on my second glass of wine. I've been sitting here for the past hour staring at the email on Quinn's laptop, reading the letter over and over again. After taking the kids to school I came home and began searching for clues as to whether Quinn was cheating on me or not. Since we've been married Quinn has never given me a reason to believe that she's cheated but things are different now. After what she told me last night I had to be sure for myself. Maybe I've been a fool and she's been cheating on me this whole time. So I looked in Quinn's bags and purses for phone numbers. Examining her dirty clothes for lipstick marks and unfamiliar perfume smells.

I checked through the cabinets in her office for some type of evidence of infidelity but I found nothing. I even went through her laptop expecting to find evidence of an affair but the only thing I found was an email from her coworker Libby. Which is why I'm working on my second glass of wine.

Based on testing results obtained from analyses of DNA loci between Quinn Fabray and child tested Jordan Baker, probability of paternity/maternity is 99.99%.

That's the part that I can't seem to stop reading. My wife has a child that is not our own. Knowing that Quinn shared that special part of herself with someone else is what hurts the most. We've always talked about how special it was that we've only shared our bodies with each other. I felt honored to not only be the only woman to make love to Quinn but to always be the only one to bear her children and now all of that is gone.

I pour myself another glass of wine even though I know it's a bad idea. Two is normally my limit but I think today I have the right to drown my sorrows with another glass. Something about the sweet aroma coming from the glass gives me a calming feeling. It's why I haven't burned any of Quinn's clothing. I've seen it done in the movie Waiting to Exhale and it seems oddly satisfying.

My phone rings and I see it's from Quinn, no way am I answering her call right now. She can be miserable just like I am.

I love you so much Rachel. Please talk to me.

She sends me that text right after and I throw my phone to the side. You love me Quinn? Well love didn't stop you from screwing another woman and lying to me about it.

I hear the front door bell ringing. I check the security camera on the wall and see it's my best friends Kurt and Blaine. What are they doing here, I know we don't have a day planned.

I rush over to the front door to let my best friends in."Kurt, Blaine what are you doing here?"

"Beth sent us a text saying you were all sad and depressed this morning so here we are. Now tell us what's wrong sweetie." Kurt doesn't wait for me to invite them in as he pushes past me. Blaine gives me a quick hug before following behind his husband.

"I'm fine Kurt, you guys didn't have to drive all the way over here. I know how busy the two of you are." I follow behind them as they walk into the kitchen. I probably should have put away the bottle of wine before I answered the door. I never drink wine this early in the day so that's a dead giveaway that something is wrong.

"Rachel sweetie, we are never too busy for you. Nicholas is in school and the great thing about owning your own company is you get to take off whenever you want. Now I see the glass of wine on the table so you can't even pretend like nothing is wrong." Kurt says, pointing out the bottle of wine. It's no need to hide anything from them, this is what best friends are for.

"Okay I will tell you guys everything but you might want to sit down for this."

After I tell them the full story Blaine and Kurt stare at me in disbelief and shock.

"Yeah, that's what's going on with me. Quinn has an illegitimate child."

"Rachel I'm so sorry, I can't even imagine what you are going through right now." Blaine says, giving me a sad and concerned look.

"Sad, hurt, betrayed, confused, angry, those words pretty much sum up how I'm feeling."

Blaine reaches over and squeezes my hand to try and comfort me. I smile but it doesn't help. Sad to say but the only comfort I want right now is from Quinn.

"I just can't believe it, how are you guys going to tell the kids." Kurt asks.

"I don't even know but that will be for Quinn to figure out, she made her bed now she has to lay in it."

"So what does all of this mean for the two of you?" Kurt asks.

"I don't know Kurt, I really don't. I love Quinn with all my heart, she's been there for me through everything and I can't imagine my life without her. She's given me a beautiful family and I don't want to break that up but I don't know how to get past this. Knowing that Quinn was able to lie to me for so long and now she has a child with someone else just hurts too much. I'm going to have to see him everyday and know that he is a product of Quinn making love to someone else. I don't know if I'm ready to handle that." I wipe away some of the tears that have begun to fall down my face.

"Rachel, you have the right to feel all of the emotions you are feeling right now and to take all the time you need to process them. You need to do what's best for you and your happiness." Kurt says.

"Kurt is right Rachel, this is a lot to take in and before you can even make any decisions on what's next for you and Quinn you need to allow yourself the time to process all of your emotions."

"You two are right, thank you. It feels good to talk and let it all out."

Both Kurt and Blaine kiss me on my tear stained cheeks. Blaine gives me the handkerchief in his pocket to soak up my tears.

"Well I say we go have some retail-therapy via Quinn's American Express card. Trust me Rachel it will make you feel better, even if it's just for a little while." Got to love Kurt, always finding a way to throw shopping into the mix.

"Okay let me get dressed and we can leave."

I could definitely use a couple of hours with my best friends to get my mind off of everything that's going on, even if it's just temporary.

—

"That was actually pretty cool." Jordan says to me as we sit in my office after my dissection surgery. Jordan watched my surgery from the gallery with the interns and residents.

"Really? I'm surprised to hear you say that. I brought my daughter here to watch one of my surgeries and she only stayed for like twenty minutes. Not too many teenagers find surgery "cool".

"It was though, I've never seen the inside of a real human body before and to watch you do your thing, it was pretty dope." I can't help but feel a sense of pride that he is actually impressed.

"Well thank you Jordan, maybe you can become a doctor too one day."

Jordan shakes his head. "I'm not smart enough to become a doctor."

"I'm sure that is not true, what was your gpa when you graduated high school?" I ask and Jordan quickly looks away from me, maybe he's embarrassed.

"Look I don't care what it was I just want to know so we can start planning for college or whatever you want to do next."

"Well that's a funny story actually, I didn't really graduate from high school."

"You dropped out?"

"Well sort of, I'm supposed to be in my senior year right now but I kind of skipped out to come here."

"Oh no we are fixing that right away. I'm going to make some calls to the principal at Beth's school to see if you can start as soon as possible." It's no way I'm going to let him drop out of high school.

"Crap, I should have just lied."

"Well I'm glad you didn't, getting your high school diploma is very important."

"I guess." He shrugs his shoulders.

"Do you know what you want to do after high school?"

"Not really, it's not like I got a career plan in the group home."

Well of course not, he probably hasn't had anyone concerned about his future since his mother's passing.

"Well you don't have to worry about that anymore, I'm going to help you figure it all out. My advice, give college a try. Whether it's a community college or a four year university."

This is kind of weird territory for me. I haven't been in his life for the past seventeen years and now I don't know how much authority I have. Does my advice or words even matter to him?

"Thanks Quinn, I guess we'll see what happens."

Now that I know Jordan is one hundred percent my son, I just want to do everything I can to show him the love and support I missed out on for the last seventeen years.

I go back to working on my paperwork while Jordan watches the T.V in my office. My phone vibrates and it's a text from Rachel, I fumble with the phone trying to open the message as quickly as possible. Rachel has not responded to any of my texts all day until now.

I need you to pick the boys up from school.

That's all the message reads and I feel extremely let down. Here I am thinking that Rachel was finally going to reply to one of my many apology texts. Instead all I get is an instructional one line text and nothing else.

I text Rachel back an acknowledgement text. I put my phone down and began running my fingers through my hair. It's an old habit of mine whenever I was nervous or stressed out and at the moment I am very stressed out.

"Are you okay Quinn?" Jordan asks, a look of concern on his face.

"Yeah I'm fine." I put on a fake smile. "We just have to leave early today to pick the boys up from school, Rachel can't make it for some reason."

"Oh okay, what are you going to say when they ask you who I am?"

"The truth, from now on it's all about the truth."

—-

On the ride to the boys school I'm surprised I don't feel nervous at all. I just want everything to be out in the open with no more secrets. I'm going to tell the boys first and then when Beth gets home I will tell her. I know talking to Beth will be the hardest part seeing as she already has an attitude about everything.

When I pull up to the school I see Liam and Lexington waiting on the sidewalk with their teacher and the rest of their classmates. As soon as they see me their faces light up.

"I will be right back." I inform Jordan before getting out the car to greet the twins.

"Mama!" The boys say at the same time running into my arms. I wrap them up in a hug and squeeze them tightly.

"Hey guys, how was school today?"

"Good!" Lexington says.

"Everyone is excited about coming to our birthday party!" Liam adds.

"Awesome!" I try to match their excitement in my voice.

"So mama has someone in the car she would like you to meet and then we are all going to the park, how does that sound?"

"Cool!" Lexington says.

"Awesome!" Says Liam.

"Good lets go." I wave goodbye to their teacher before taking the boys hands and walking them to the car.

I put their backpacks in the trunk of my car before helping them into their booster seats and strapping them in.

"Jordan this is Lexington and Liam, boys this is Jordan." I introduce them once I get back in the car.

"What's up guys?" Jordan turns towards them and waves his hand, a welcoming smile on his face.

"Hi." Lexington and Liam greet back.

"What happened to your arm?" Liam points to Jordan's injured arm still wrapped in medical tape.

"Well I was being stupid and going too fast on my motorcycle when I fell off, hurt my arm a little."

"Did our mama fix you?" Asks Lexington.

"Yes she did."

"Mama how long until we get to the park." Liam's attention quickly shifts from Jordan and back to me.

"It's just down the road, we'll be there soon."

The drive to the park only takes about five minutes and the twins waste no time running to the basketball court once I let them out the car.

"Jordan come play with us!" Lexington screams from the court as Jordan gets out of the car.

"Okay." Jordan looks over at me before jogging over to the court.

Liam grabs the basketball and begins bouncing it up and down. He passes it to Lexington who begins dribbling circles around Jordan.

Jordan looks down laughing at Lexington showing off his best dribble moves. "Oh I see you got skills little man."

"Yeah I'm going to be like Steph Curry when I grow up."

"Oh yeah."

"Yup! Do you know how to play?"

"Yeah I play."

"Are you any good?"

Jordan smirks. "You tell me, pass me the ball little man."

Lexington passes Jordan the ball, Jordan stretches out his legs before soaring through the air and dunking the ball on the rim.

"Cool!" Both Liam and Lexington say, amazed at how Jordan flew through the air.

"Thanks."

"Do it again!" Lexington yells in excitement jumping up and down.

Jordan obliges Lexington and dunks the ball again, this time passing the ball through his legs before dunking.

"Wow!" Lexington stares at Jordan in shock of what he has just seen.

Jordan spends the next ten minutes dunking the ball, showing off his best moves to Liam and Lexington who watched in amazement.

"Okay guys that's all I got, I'm getting pretty tired here." Jordan bends over to catch his breath.

"I want to dunk too!" Lexington exclaims jumping up in the air.

"Okay, grab the ball and come over here." Lexington quickly grabs the basketball and runs over to Jordan.

"You ready?"

"Yeah!"

"Alright 1..2..3!" Jordan grabs Lexington by his waist and lifts him up towards the rim and Lexington dunks the ball just as he watched Jordan do it.

They do this a few times as I watch from the side of the court, a big smile stretches across my face. The boys are having so much fun with Jordan and I can't help but enjoy how good all three of them are getting along.

"Okay Liam and Lex, I have something very important that I need to talk to you about." I finally got the boys to stop playing basketball long enough to get them to sit down.

They sit across from me on the park bench. Jordan sits in the middle of the basketball court to give me some privacy while I talk to the twins.

"So how do you two like Jordan?"

"He's so much fun!"

"He's really cool!"

Liam and Lexington answer with excitement.

"That's good, I'm glad to hear that because Jordan is going to be staying with us from now on."

"Yes!" Lexington shouts.

"But what about his family, will they miss him?" Liam inquires. Of course my sweet little Liam would ask that question.

"Well we are his family Liam."

"How?" Both Liam and Lexington have puzzled looks on their faces.

"Well..he's my son and that makes him your big brother." I say and wait for the twins' reaction.

Liam and Lexington look at me and I expect them to ask me a million questions but instead they look at each other. "We have a big brother!"

Liam and Lexington hop off the park bench and run towards Jordan jumping on top of him. Okay this is not how I expected this to go, I thought they would at least ask a bunch of questions. I guess the idea of having a big brother has outweighed their curiosity.

I'm sure soon enough I will have to explain everything to them but for right now I'm just going to sit here and enjoy the view of my three sons. I'm sure this will be the last peaceful moment of my day.

—-

As I pull into the gate I see both Beth and Rachel's cars in the driveway and my heart begins to beat a little faster. Rachel hasn't responded to my texts all day and I know that Beth is not going to take it well when I tell her about Jordan.

Jordan helps me get the boys out the car and the two of them run into the house. Jordan and I follow behind them into the kitchen where Rachel and Beth are standing by the island.

"Beth, look we have a big brother!" Lexington shouts once he enters the kitchen.

Yeah I probably should have told them to not say anything.

"What are you talking about weirdo." Beth rolls her eyes, she already seems agitated.

"That's not even important." Beth completely disregards Lexington.

"Mama we need to talk about what's going on with you and mom. It's not even five o'clock yet and mom is already drunk." Beth shouts.

I look over at Rachel and Beth is right, Rachel is definitely tipsy. I can tell by the glossy look in her eyes. Rachel never drinks hard liquor but will easily get drunk off of two glasses of wine. She's clearly gone past her limit today.

"I'm not drunk Beth." Rachel tries to say but the way she is slurring her words is convincing me otherwise.

This is all my fault.

"Yes you are mom." Beth grows more impatient.

"Excuse me, I don't know who you are but could you give us some alone time. My parents and I need to talk." Beth points at Jordan who looks at me not knowing what to say.

"Lex and Liam, why don't you guys show Jordan your room. I'm sure he would like to see your new VR game." Perfect way to keep the boys occupied while I have what I know is going to be a long conversation with Beth and Rachel.

"Okay!" Liam and Lexington each take Jordan's hands and run upstairs, dragging Jordan with them.

"So you told them?" Rachel immediately asks. Her eyes are almost bloodshot red. A combination of drinking and crying I assume.

"Yes I did, I got the results back today."

"I know, I read it in your email." I don't even have to ask why she was going through my emails. Of course she doesn't trust me anymore.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" Beth is even more agitated now.

"Tell her Quinn." Rachel urges me. A mixture of anger and sadness in her voice.

"I am." This is not going to go well.

"My freshman year of college your mom and I broke up. It was only for about three months but during that time Santana took me to Las Vegas to cheer me up."

"What does this have to do with anything?" Beth interrupts.

"I'm getting there Beth." I want to explain the full story to not only Beth but to Rachel as well. Last night I didn't get a chance to explain the whole situation.

"Like I was saying we get to Vegas and I'm really sad because I thought it was really over for your mom and I. So I end up drinking a lot and Santana and I go to this club and we meet some young ladies. One thing led to another and I was intimate with one of them."

"Eww mama that's gross, why are you telling me this."

Here it goes.

"Because she had my child Beth, Jordan is our child. I had a child with another woman and that's why your mom has been so upset all day. I had no idea until yesterday when he showed up at the hospital but he is my son and I will be taking care of him from now on."

Beth looks at both me and Rachel "You can't be serious?"

"Yes Beth I'm serious, I wouldn't joke about something like this."

The expression on Beth's face hardens.

"I can't believe this! All of the lectures you give me about being responsible and making the right decisions and you were out getting a girl pregnant when you were a teenager!"

"Yes I was irresponsible and I had no idea I got someone pregnant. I'm trying to take responsibility for my actions by owning up to what I've done and taking care of my son."

"You're really going to let a kid you had with someone else stay with us? No! He can stay with the whore you knocked up." I've never heard Beth talk like this before and it shocks me to hear her use such vulgar language.

"I don't care how mad you are right now, you will not talk like that in front of me. Jordan's mother is dead and he has no family to take care of him but me. Now I know you are upset and hurt but Jordan is your brother and he will live in this house and get the same love and care you and your siblings get everyday."

"That's bullshit! Mom shouldn't have to look at your bastard child everyday.

"Beth! You apologize to your mother right now and then you need to go upstairs until you have calmed down." Rachel speaks up this time, she may be upset and tipsy but even she knows Beth has gone too far.

Beth looks over at Rachel, shocked that she is speaking up for me.

"Mom, how can you stand up for her after what she's done."

"Beth either apologize to your mother or go upstairs to your room." Rachel's gaze is directed downward and she gives Beth minimal eye contact.

Beth huffs in frustration and rolls her eyes before storming past me. I can hear her slamming the bedroom door from all the way upstairs.

Beth's dramatic exit leaves Rachel and I standing awkwardly in the kitchen. Rachel won't even look at me.

"Rachel can we please talk?"

"There is nothing for us to talk about." Rachel turns away from me. She opens up the refrigerator and pulls out a bottle of wine.

"Rachel I think you've had enough." I try to grab the bottle from her but she pulls away from me.

"Well I don't." Rachel ignores my warning and pours herself another glass of white wine.

"Rachel, I just don't want you to drink yourself sick okay. You know how much you hate throwing up."

"I'm fine." Rachel says to me through pinched lips.

"No, you are not fine. You've been slurring your words and I'm guessing you've been drinking since this morning."

"So what! I think finding out your wife has a secret child is more than a good enough reason to drink."

"Rachel, just give me the glass okay." I step towards her again to take the glass out of her hands but she puts it behind her back.

"Nope you can't have it." Rachel puts the glass of wine down on the counter and instead of focusing on the wine she turns her attention to me.

Rachel walks up to me and wraps her arms around my waist and begins placing kisses on my neck. It feels so good to have Rachel's lips on me but I know better than to let her continue.

"Rachel baby stop, let's talk." I take her hands and remove them from around my waist.

"I don't want to talk. I want you to pick me up, place me on the counter, and fuck me." God she's killing me.

"No Rachel, we need to talk about this." I gently push her away and it makes her angry.

"Of course you don't want to have sex with me. You're probably getting it from somewhere else right?"

"Rachel, I'm not cheating on you. You're my wife I would never cheat on you."

"All of the times we talked about the special bond we had and it was all a lie! It wasn't special because I'm not special!"

"Babe that is not true. Every time we make love it's special to me. I am so unbelievably honored that I get to make love to you."

"Yeah right. Everyone knows you're out of my league, it's been this way since high school. All the girls in school wondering how loser Rachel Berry got Quinn Fabray to even look at her."

"Rachel stop, I'm the lucky one. Always have been and always will be."

"No you stop Quinn, you know it's true. Everywhere we go everyone is staring at you. In high school, most people couldn't even fathom that you were with me."

"Rachel, none of that matters now. You are the only one I have eyes for."

"Then why did you sleep with her! Was I that easy to get over?" Rachel's bottom lip pokes out and she looks as if she's on the verge of crying.

"Of course not, baby. I was drunk and I was miserable and I just wanted to do whatever I could to get you off my mind. Every single time I would think about you I would cry. Just the thought of not being with you anymore just broke me down to tears. I fucked up Rachel and I'm sorry, I know that will never be enough but I am sorry. I'm sorry I put you in this fucked up situation. I don't want to lose you but I can't abandon Jordan either."

I lay it all out for her. Rachel is the love of my life but I just can't walk away from Jordan. He's my son and I don't want to miss anymore of his life than I already have.

Rachel looks me directly in my eyes for the first time since our conversation started. A despondent expression on her face.

"What do you want me to say Quinn?" Rachel shrugs her shoulders. "I can't pretend to be okay with another woman's child walking around our home and yet I can't live one day without you. So tell me, what am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know baby but I can promise you I will do whatever it takes to fix this. If that means going to marriage counseling every week or moving out to give you time to process all of this, I will. I'll get down on my knees and apologize every day until you understand how sorry I am for what I've done. Just tell me what you want and I will do it. I will do whatever it takes because I love you so much and I don't want to lose you.. I can't lose you." I don't know what else I can say but I meant every word.

Rachel just stares at me, her eyes full of sadness and disappointment. It breaks my heart to see her like this and it's all my fault.

Rachel steps up to me and I don't know what she's going to do next. Slap me? Maybe punch me? Whatever it is I deserve it.

Rachel steps up closer to me and slowly places her head on my chest. Her body begins to shake as she cries her eyes out. I can feel her warm tears soaking through my shirt. I wrap my arms around her petite frame and she feels so fragile in my arms. As if she would completely crumble if I let her go.

I feel tears falling down my face as well. I don't know if this is the end of Rachel and I but it's definitely the beginning of something.


	3. Patience Is A Virtue

Twelve long days had passed since Quinn’s world was turned upside down by the arrival of Jordan. Twelve days of intense stares and awkward silence coming from Rachel and Beth. Both of them were still not able to cope with the new addition to their family. 

Quinn was spreading herself thin. She had marriage counseling with Rachel, getting Jordan settled into his new life, and dealing with Beth fighting her about everything. While also working twelve hour shifts at the hospital. Quinn was both physically and emotionally exhausted from it all.

However, Quinn didn’t pity herself for a moment and she didn’t expect anyone else to. She was doing everything she could to make it all work. No matter how many nights she had to sleep in the guest bedroom or get the cold shoulder from Rachel she was determined to keep her family together.

The night Rachel broke down in Quinn’s arms she agreed to try and work things out but only if they started seeing a marriage counselor immediately. The next morning Quinn hired the best marriage counselor in California and made sure to never miss an appointment no matter what.

Although there wasn’t much to smile about in the Berry-Fabray household. Quinn got good news from the principal at Beverly Hills High. Jordan would be able to complete his senior.

“Thanks for the new clothes Quinn, you didn’t have to spend all this money on me.” Quinn and Jordan had just returned from the mall after buying school clothes. 

“You don’t need to thank me Jordan.” Quinn assured him.

“You know, you say that a lot.” 

“Well I have to because you won’t stop thanking me. I’m just doing my parental duties.” Quinn countered.

“Either way, I appreciate all of this.” Jordan thanked Quinn.

He opened his bedroom drawers to make a home for his new clothes. He wasn’t going to mention it to Quinn but it would be the first time since he was eleven that he wouldn’t have to wear hand me downs to school.

“So you’ve been here for almost two weeks now and you seem pretty settled in. So I just want to go over the house rules with you.” said Quinn.

“Okay, I’m listening.” replied Jordan. In his mind, going from living in group homes to now living in a mansion. There weren't any rules he wouldn’t be able to follow.

“First things first, Rachel and I will always have the final say.” Quinn began. “You are always welcomed to express your thoughts and opinions but at the end of the day what we say goes.”

“Okay, sounds fine.” Jordan acknowledged.

“Now rule number one. Curfew is at nine-thirty on school nights and midnight on the weekends. The first time you miss curfew you get a warning. The second time we take two hours off your curfew. The third time you will be grounded for two months.”

“Sounds fair.” Jordan agreed.

“Side note, do you have your driver's license?” A thought quickly popped into Quinn’s head.

“No I don’t.” Jordan answered.

“Okay, no worries we’ll work on that.” Quinn made a mental note of it.

“Anyways, you will get a credit card which is only used for small purchases and in case of an emergency.” Quinn added.

“I don’t want one.” Jordan responded almost instantaneously.

“Why not?” inquired Quinn. Not understanding how a teenager didn’t want a credit card of their own.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to know I get to come home to this big ass house and wear these nice clothes. But I’m starting to feel like I’m taking advantage of you.” Jordan answered honestly.

Quinn shook her head. “Jordan you’re not taking advantage of me. I’ve been fortunate enough to not have to worry about money in my life and I want the same for you. Plus it will put my mind at ease to know you have money on you in case something happens.”

Jordan sighed. “Okay but I promise I’ll pull my weight around here. I’ll even get a job after school.” 

Quinn shook her head again. “There is no need for you to do that. All I want you to do is focus on your schoolwork and getting your diploma.”

“Are you sure?” he asked with uncertainty.

“Of course I’m sure. The only thing you need to worry about is being a seventeen year old kid.” Quinn stated matter of factly. 

“I think I can handle that.” said Jordan. A radiant smile stretched across his face.

“Good.” After everything Jordan had been through in his life, Quinn wanted to make sure that his new life with her was as easy as possible.

“Next rule is, clean up after yourself. Yes we have staff here that cleans up but that doesn’t mean you should live like a slob.” This rule was Quinn’s personal pet peeve. 

“Do not live like a slob, Check.” 

“And the last house rule. If you decide to bring over a friend of the opposite sex, the door must stay open. Not cracked but completely open.” Quinn emphasized. She refused to be a grandmother at thirty-five. 

“Now that’s messed up. I already had plans to invite some cute girls over for a hot and heavy make-out session.” Jordan joked.

“Haha very funny. There will be no make out sessions going on in this room or any other room in this house..well except for my bedroom.” 

Jordan shook his head in embarrassment. “You know, there is this line that’s like right here.” Jordan uses his hands to illustrate his point. “And here you are, just inching closer and closer to crossing it.”

“Too much information?”

“Just a bit.” Jordan answered sarcastically, an amused grin on his face.

Quinn loved the bond she and Jordan had established in the short time since his arrival. Their conversations and playful banter was so organic and nothing felt forced. On the outside looking in you would have never guessed that the two of them were strangers until recently.

“I’ll leave you to finish putting everything away.” Quinn stood up from her spot on the edge of Jordan’s bed. “Do you have any concerns or questions about the rules?” 

“Nope, everything sounds cool.” Jordan responded as he continued to sort and organize his new clothes.

“Okay, I will be downstairs if you need me.”

Quinn left Jordan’s room and headed down the hall to Lily’s nursery. Quinn wanted to see if the toddler had woken up from her afternoon nap. Quinn cracked the door open to the nursery and Lily was wide awake. The one year old was playing with a stuffed animal in her crib.

“Someone’s up from their nap I see.” Quinn lifted Lily out of her crib, cradling the small child in her arms. Suddenly an unpleasant but familiar smell hit her nostrils. “And you left a stinky present for mama.”

Lily laughed showing off the few tiny teeth in her mouth. 

“Okay, let's see how big of a mess you left for mama.” Quinn put Lily on the changing table and unbuttoned her onesie to inspect the damage. “Oh my god. How is all of this coming out of your small little body..how is it all over your back?”

After surviving Lily’s diaper change Quinn stopped by the twin's room to check on them. It was her day off and she was home alone with the kids while Rachel was working.

“Hey boys, you guys doing okay?”

Inside the room Lexington’s eyes were focused on the TV mounted on their wall. A basketball game playing on the screen. While Liam was on his iPad watching his favorite musical The Sound Of Music.

“Yes mama.” Lexington answered, his eyes not leaving the television screen for a second. Liam doesn’t respond at all.

“Liam, are you okay sweetie?” Quinn asked a second time.

“Yes mama, my favorite part is coming up.” Liam didn’t want to be rude to his mother but he also didn’t like to be interrupted while he watched his musicals.

“Okay, I’ll leave you two alone. I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.” Both of them just nodded their heads. Their eyes never left their respective screens.

With Lily on her hip Quinn headed downstairs to the living room. It was the perfect afternoon for her to catch up on some episodes of Grey’s Anatomy. On her days off, Quinn loved cuddling on the couch with Rachel and catching up on tv shows that they missed throughout the week. She wouldn’t be able to cuddle with Rachel but at least she had Lily Grace to snuggle with.

When she stepped into the living room, Beth was sitting on the couch watching Riverdale on Netflix. 

“I didn’t know you were home.” commented Quinn. 

Beth rolled her eyes, already annoyed by her mother’s presence. “I didn’t know I had to make an announcement.”

“Really Beth, how long are we going to go through this.” Quinn stepped in front of Beth blocking the television to get her daughter’s full attention.

“As long as you allow that kid to stay in our house.” Beth switched her attention from the television screen to the iPhone in her hand. Beth wanted to avoid her mother’s glance as much as she could. 

“Jordan.” Quinn emphasized, tired of Beth pretending to not know his name. “Is your brother and has just as much of a right to be here as you.”

“Oh really, that makes a lot of sense. A child from a drunken one night stand is equal to the ones you had with your wife. Nice mama.”

Quinn furrowed her brows. She was really tired of Beth’s smart mouth.

“None of that changes the fact that Jordan is family. You will all get treated the same and no one is going to feel left out in this family.”

“Whatever Quinn.” Beth sassed.

Quinn had beyond reached her breaking point with Beth.

“Elizabeth Fabray. I don’t care how upset you are, you will not continue to disrespect me. I am still your mother and I will not tolerate this attitude any longer.” Quinn raised her voice but made a conscious decision not to yell at Beth in front of Lily.

“Next time, there isn’t going to be anymore talking. I’m going to take away your phone and car for two months.” asserted Quinn.

“You can’t be serious.” Beth finally took her eyes away from her phone and instead glared at her mother.

“I’m very serious. So either fix your attitude or deal with the consequences.” Quinn said with conviction. She wanted to put an end to Beth’s antics.

Beth visibly upset, jumped off the couch and threw her phone on the coffee table. “You know what, take whatever you want Quinn. I don’t even care anymore.” 

Beth stormed out of the living room, her long blonde hair bouncing behind her.

“What was that about?” Rachel’s low voice called from the other side of the living room. 

Rachel had walked into the house just a few moments ago. By the time she got to the living room Beth was already storming out.

“I didn’t even hear you come in.” said Quinn.

Rachel walked over to Quinn and removed Lily from her arms.

“How was work?” Quinn followed Rachel into the kitchen. She looked down and her eyes couldn’t help but wander. Rachel was wearing a skintight black jumpsuit that showed off her toned butt.

“Long day.” Rachel kept it short and sweet. A distinctive change from the long wordy responses Quinn was used to. Short answers from Rachel were starting to be the norm.

“Well, Joselyn will be here soon to cook dinner so you can just relax. You look exhausted..I mean you don’t look bad or anything. You actually look really good, it’s just I know you’re probably really tired.” Quinn rambled.

“Okay.” Rachel simply replied. Lily began to get fussy so Rachel bounced the one year old up and down in her arms.

“I can take her if you want.” Quinn offered.

“She’s probably just hungry. Have you fed her?” 

“Not yet, I just got her up from her nap.” 

Rachel grabbed a jar of oatmeal out the refrigerator and a spoon before placing Lily in her high chair. Rachel took a seat at the kitchen table next to Lily.

“So, what was that about?” inquired Rachel. Still concerned about the argument between Beth and Quinn.

“Our daughter just refuses to give up on the attitude. I’ve reached my breaking point with her and her disrespectful remarks.” Quinn informed Rachel.

“And what did you say to her?” Rachel questioned.

“I told her I would take away her cellphone and car if she didn’t straighten out her attitude.” 

“Oh.” Rachel simply stated as she continued to feed Lily. A disappointed expression written on her face.

“Did I say something wrong?” Quinn asked, analyzing the expression on her wife’s face.

Rachel sighed. “Have you asked her even once how she's feeling? This situation isn’t just hard on us it’s hard on her too. She’s fifteen years old and her life just got flipped upside down. This is not easy information to process and you threatening her won’t fix anything.”

Quinn nodded her head in understanding. Rachel was right, through all of this she never tried to have a real conversation with Beth. She was supposed to be the adult in the situation and yet she wasn’t acting like it.

“I know you may not believe this but Beth really looks up to you. And it’s hard when your hero let’s you down.” Rachel continued.

“And I‘ve only made things worse. I’ve been so caught up in trying to keep you and Jordan happy that I’ve completely neglected Beth and her feelings.” Quinn finally understood.

“I need to talk to her.”

...

Quinn gave Beth’s door a light knock. When she didn’t get a response she cracked the door open. 

She peaked her head inside and saw Beth lying on her bed with headphones in her ears. Beth was unaware that Quinn had entered the room.

Quinn tapped Beth on the shoulder and once Beth made eye contact with her mother she let out a loud sigh.

“Come to yell at me some more?” Beth took out her headphones and placed them on the bed.

“No, no more yelling. I want us to actually have a conversation.” 

Beth sat up straight in her bed, her back up against the bed frame.

“I’m sorry Beth.” Quinn took a seat at the edge of Beth’s bed.

“I haven’t handled this the right way.” Quinn began. “All of this is hard on everyone and I was considerate of everyone’s feelings except yours.

Beth bowed her head and looked down at her fingers. Quinn lifted her chin back up. Wanting Beth to look her in the eyes as she spoke from the heart.

“I know this can’t be easy on you, especially with the way I’ve handled things. The twins are too young to understand and Lily won’t even remember any of this. You on the other hand have to absorb all of this.” added Quinn. “You’re still a child and I can’t expect you to process and manage your emotions like an adult. It’s not fair to you.”

Tears began to gather at the corners of Beth’s eyes.

“So, I want you to tell me exactly how you feel. Just let it all go, everything that you’ve been holding in.”

“Are you serious?” 

“Yes I’m serious, let me have it. I promise I won’t get upset.” Quinn reiterated. She knew Beth would feel a lot better once she got it all out.

“Fine, I’ll tell you exactly how I feel.” Beth jumped off the bed and stood in front of her mother. A harden expression plastered across her face.

“I hate all of this! I hate that our lives are never going to be the same. I hate that mom is so sad and pretty much cries herself to sleep every night. I hate that we had a perfect life and now all of that is gone. I hate not knowing what’s going to happen next. What if mom doesn’t forgive you and you have to get a divorce. What if we only get to see you on the weekends. I don’t want our family to be broken up and I hate Jordan for ruining everything. I know it’s not right for me to say but it’s how I feel. I just want things to go back to the way they were. I want us to be a happy family again.” Beth let her true emotions out and the tears began to flow heavily down her cheeks.

“Come here Beth.” Quinn stretched out her arms and surprisingly that’s all she had to say. Beth fell into her mother’s arms.

Quinn cradled Beth in her lap just like she used to when Beth was a little girl. “Everything is going to be okay, I promise. Your mom and I love each other very much and this is just one obstacle in our path. Your mom has agreed to go to counseling with me, which means she is willing to work things out. She wants to fix things between us. So don’t worry your pretty little head about this anymore. We’ve always been a strong family and we will get through this.”

Quinn kissed the top of Beth’s golden blonde hair. Beth looked up at her mother and Quinn wiped away the tears that were staining Beth’s cheeks.

“You okay?” Quinn asked her daughter.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Beth sniffled and wiped the rest of the tears off her face.

“I love you Beth.”

“I love you too mama.” 

Quinn placed another gentle kiss on the top of her daughter's head.

“I’m sorry for what I said about Jordan.” Beth added.

“It’s okay. I understand why you think this is his fault but it’s not. I am the one that deserves all of the blame. I lied to your mother and now I have to face the consequences. Jordan on the other hand is completely innocent in all of this. He’s just a kid who wanted to meet his mother. He had no ill intentions when he came out here to find me.” Quinn explained, hoping that Beth would understand.

“I know.” Beth acknowledged.

“You should talk to him. Try to get to know him. He’s a great kid and the two of you might actually get along.” Quinn said as she ran her fingers through her daughter’s hair.

“I doubt it..but I’ll try.” Beth wasn’t looking forward to it but for her mother she was willing to give it a try.

——

…

THE NEXT DAY

“Rachel, you really need to bring Quinn with you tonight.” 

Rachel’s publicist Cassandra had been pressing her client all day about the importance of bringing Quinn to the movie premiere.

“I’m perfectly capable of attending the premiere by myself, Cassandra. It’s not even my movie.”  
Rachel had just gotten out of the shower when Cassandra called her. Soon her glam team would be over to help her get all dressed up for the premiere.

“Because Rachel, it’s a movie premiere for possibly the most romantic movie since Titanic. Everyone attending is going to be there with a date and it will look peculiar if you don’t bring your wife.” Cassandra further explained.

“I’m married to a doctor Cassandra. I’m sure the press will believe me if I say she had some type of emergency surgery or something.”  
Rachel really didn’t want to ask Quinn to go with her to the movie premiere. She still wasn’t on good terms with her wife and she wasn’t in the mood to put on the fake affection in front of the cameras.

“Rachel, you and Quinn need to be seen together or rumors will start to float. Once rumors start to buzz, the press goes looking for answers. So I need you to show up with Quinn tonight looking beautiful, happy, and in love. Can you please do that for me?” Cassandra begged. Rachel had revealed to her that Quinn had another child and Cassandra was in full publicist mode to control the narrative as much as she could.

“Fine, I’ll bring Quinn.” Rachel huffed. She wanted no parts of an awkward night but it’s what she had to do.

“Thank you Rachel! Remember big smiles tonight and if you need anything just call me.” Cassandra beamed from the other side of the phone. Relieved that she had convinced Rachel to see things her way. 

“Bye Cassandra.” Rachel ended the phone call. She was beyond frustrated and not at all entertained by the idea of playing the loving couple in front of the cameras. Unfortunately she had no time to sulk, the premiere was just three hours away.

Rachel checked around the house and was finally able to locate Quinn in her home office. Rachel tapped lightly on the office door before letting herself in.

Quinn looked up from her computer when Rachel walked in. “Hi.”

“Hey.” Rachel greeted back.

“Everything okay?” Quinn gave Rachel her full attention.

“Yes everything’s fine. Are you busy?” 

“Not really, I’m just doing some research.” Stacks of paper and files were piled onto Quinn’s desk.

“Well, if you’re not busy, would you like to attend a movie premiere with me tonight.” Rachel asked in a dry tone.

“You actually want me to go with you?” Quinn was taken by surprise at Rachel’s request. Rachel still had her kicked out of their bedroom and barely said more than three words to Quinn at home.

“Cassandra wanted me to ask. She thought it would look suspicious if you didn’t accompany me tonight.”

“So this is just an image thing, you don’t actually want me to go with you?”

“I was fully prepared to go to the premiere alone tonight before Cassandra’s call.” Rachel knew her answer would hurt Quinn’s feelings but her anger wouldn’t allow her to care.

Quinn didn’t bother to hide the disappointment on her face. This was the version of Rachel that was becoming the norm. Cold, distant, and nothing like the woman Quinn married. 

But Quinn swallowed her pride knowing that the way she was feeling paled in comparison to what Rachel was going through.

“I’ll go.” Quinn answered. “But can we at least go to dinner afterwards. That’s all I ask.”

Quinn didn’t mind being used as a prop..as long as it came with some alone time with Rachel.

Rachel thought about it for a moment. 

“Fine, we can go to dinner..I’m sure I will need something to eat after the premiere.” Rachel said nonchalantly. She didn’t want Quinn to see it as a small victory.

“Great.” Quinn beamed. Rachel saying yes to dinner was a small victory.

“Well the glam team will be here in about twenty minutes so can you shower quickly and meet me in our bedroom.” 

“Of course, I’ll meet you in twenty.”

“Okay.” Rachel said in a casual tone before she turned and walked out the door.

Once Rachel left Quinn leaned back in her chair, hands propped behind her head. Getting Rachel to agree to dinner after almost two weeks of the cold shoulder had Quinn feeling a little more optimistic.

Three hours later Quinn sat in the living room with the kids excluding Jordan. He was still avoiding Rachel and Beth as much as he could. Quinn had picked her outfit and got her hair and makeup done in an hour. Rachel was taking a bit longer than Quinn to decide what she wanted to wear.

“Are you and mommy going on a date?” Liam asked from his spot on the couch.

“No buddy, mommy and I are going to a movie premiere.” Quinn answered.

“Oh I want to see the movie too!” Liam exclaimed.

“I’m sorry buddy but this movie is for adults only.” Quinn explained.

“Is it because it’s going to be kissing in the movie?” Lexington asked.

“Kind of..yes.”

“Liam and Lex shush, mom and mama need some alone time.” Beth interjected. She wanted nothing more than to see her parents mend their relationship and them going out together seemed like a step in the right direction.

“Whatever.” Lexington sighed.

The sound of heels hitting the floor brought everyone’s attention to the entrance of the living room.

Rachel was standing there in a skintight black and gold maxi dress. A long slit running up her dress exposed her tan legs and a deep plunging neckline slightly exposed her chest. 

“Wow mom, you look hot.” Beth complimented as Rachel stepped into the living room.

“Thank you sweetie.” Rachel kissed Beth on top of her head.

Quinn couldn’t take her eyes off Rachel and if Beth didn’t call out her name she probably would have started drooling.

“Earth to mama!” Beth waved her hand to get her mother’s attention.

“Oh sorry.” Quinn snapped out of her trance. “Rachel you look really incredible.”

“Thank you.” Rachel gave a half smile.

“We should probably get going, we have to be in our seats in forty-five minutes.” Rachel advised after checking the time on her phone.

“Yeah of course.” replied Quinn, stealing another glance at Rachels dress. 

“Kids, we will be home late tonight so Olivia will be here in about ten to fifteen minutes. Call us if you need anything and behave yourselves.” Rachel specified.

Quinn and Rachel took turns kissing all the kids goodbye before heading out the door.

Their driver Marc was standing outside waiting for them by their black Mercedes-Benz. It was a twenty minute drive to the premiere, plenty of time for Rachel to give Quinn the rundown for the night.

“Tonight I need you to put on your acting cap. I don’t want the press to get any indication that something is going on between us. So affection is acceptable and encouraged just for tonight. You think you can do that?” Rachel lectured. Since they had to pretend to be a happy couple, she wanted to make sure they did it right.

“Yes.” Quinn replied. It wasn’t an ideal situation for her but she would do what she had to do for Rachel. Plus she looked forward to being affectionate with Rachel even if it was all for show.

Rachel got on her phone and began replying to the many text messages that were popping up. For ten straight minutes Rachel didn’t talk or even look at Quinn as they rode down the freeway.

“So, who’s starring in this movie?” Quinn asked, unable to handle the piercing silence any longer.

“Issa Rae and Lakeith Stanfield.” Rachel continued to look down, typing away on her phone.

“Love Issa Rae, this movie must be really good if she’s in it.”

“Yeah.” Rachel still didn’t look up from her phone and Quinn was growing frustrated by the lack of eye contact.

“Rachel, can we have an actual conversation? I know we are working through our issues but you won’t even say more than two words to me. Can you please put your phone down for a second and talk to me.” pleaded Quinn.

Rachel huffed and put her phone down on the seat. “I’m sorry this isn’t easy for you Quinn and I’m sorry you are not getting the attention you want. But I’m not going to do things the way you want me to.”

“It’s not about me wanting things my way. I just don’t understand how we can fix things if the only time you talk to me is in counseling. You won’t even look at me.” Quinn further explained.

“I won’t look at you because every time I do, all I see is a person who lied to me for years. So I’m sorry if it hurts your feelings Quinn but I’m going to deal with this my way.”

Rachel’s frustration with Quinn had reached its boiling point. She’d been doing her best to keep their marriage intact by going to counseling and she was not going to be rushed or forced to do anything else. 

“I’m sorry Rachel.” Quinn apologized sincerely. She knew she was wrong for pushing Rachel.

Rachel didn’t respond to Quinn, she just stared out the car window. Afraid that if she looked at Quinn she would begin to cry and she did not want to ruin her makeup.

Quinn picked up her wife’s hand and delicately kissed the back of it, letting her lips linger for a few moments.

“I’m sorry.” Quinn whispered into her hand.

Rachel didn’t pull her hand away, the feeling of Quinn’s lips was the just the comfort she needed in that moment. They rode the rest of the way in total silence and Quinn never let go of Rachel’s hand.

—-

Rap music blasted through Jordan’s headphones as he danced around the kitchen. Quinn and Rachel were gone, the twins were bowling downstairs with the babysitter, and Beth was watching a movie in the theatre. So Jordan decided he would cook himself something to eat. Quinn told them they could just order takeout but Jordan saw it as a waste of money since the whole kitchen was packed with groceries.

As he danced around in front of the stove he didn’t notice Beth had entered the kitchen and was watching him from across the island.

Jordan spun around and almost dropped the food in his hands once he saw Beth staring at him.

“Oh shit, you scared the crap out of me.” 

“You know you shouldn’t use that type of language, especially around moms.” Beth advised.

“Yeah I know, I’m trying to work on it.” Jordan said with uncertainty. Not sure as to how this interaction with Beth was going to go.

Jordan grabbed a plate out of the kitchen cabinet and began putting the fried chicken and fries on his plate.

“Did you really put ketchup on your chicken?” Beth pointed at the reddish colored sauce that was covering Jordan’s food.

“It’s called mumbo sauce. It’s kind of like ketchup but more sweet and tangy. Back in Chicago we put this on pretty much everything but it goes best with chicken and fries.”

“What’s in it?” Beth asked, genuinely curious about the unique sauce.

“A lot of sugar, ketchup, some vinegar, soy sauce, paprika, and hot sauce.” 

“That doesn’t sound like a good combination.” said Beth, her nose wrinkled in disgust.

“Here, try some.” Jordan pushed his plate across the table so that Beth could sample the meal.

Beth seemed hesitant at first, although she wasn’t vegan she tried to stay away from meat as much as she could. 

“Trust me, this is going to change your life.” Jordan encouraged Beth.

“Okay.” Beth reached over and grabbed a piece of chicken. 

Jordan watched as Beth took a slow bite and seconds later her eyes lit up.

“Oh my god.” Beth stammered.

“I told you.” Jordan nodded. Beth was giving him the same look he had the first time he tasted mumbo sauce.

“That’s so good.” Beth said between bites. She licked the corners of her mouth to get off the excess sauce.

“Life changing right.”

“Absolutely.” Beth confirmed. “You have to show me how to make this.”

Jordan couldn’t believe that Beth was actually being nice to him. Since he arrived Beth was nothing but rude to him.

“You seemed to have a change in attitude?” Jordan addressed.

“Yeah, I didn’t think ketchup and soy sauce would taste good together but this is delicious.” Beth licked her fingers.

“I’m not talking about the food..I’m talking about me. I’ve gotten nothing but death stares from you since I got here. Now you’re actually having a civilized conversation with me.” 

Beth finished chewing the food in her mouth before she spoke. “Me being upset with you was just misplaced anger. I was really upset with mama and I took it out on you too. I just really don’t want my parents to get a divorce because of all this.”

“And that’s the last thing I wanted to happen when I showed up. I just really wanted to meet Quinn, that’s all I’ve ever wanted since I was five years old.” Jordan confessed.

“You don’t have to explain yourself, I get it.” Beth threw her chicken bone inside the trash and washed her hands in the kitchen sink.

“So, what did your mom tell you about my mom when you were growing up? Did she say why she wasn’t around?” Beth questioned. She was curious as to why Jordan’s mom never contacted her mother.

“Not really, I guess I was too young to understand. All I knew was that I had another mom that lived far away. I didn’t even know what Quinn looked like until my mom gave me a picture of her when I was ten.”

“So how did you know that my mom wasn’t just some deadbeat parent?” Beth continued to question.

“Because of the picture?”

“What do you mean? You can’t tell from a picture.”

“Of course you can, you just have to look at the eyes. I looked at Quinn’s eyes and they were really kind eyes. No one with her eyes, could ever abandoned a child. Or leave them in foster care for years.” Jordan elaborated. He’s always had a feeling that Quinn didn’t neglect him and after meeting her, he knew that feeling to be a fact.

“What was it like, growing up in foster care?” Beth felt like she was interrogating him at this point but she was intrigued by his story. Plus Quinn did tell her to get to know him.

“Honestly it was pretty terrible. I was constantly moving around and most of the time the foster homes I was placed in hated kids, they just wanted the check. Also, most parents wanted to adopt babies so I wasn’t a very desirable adoption choice. So most of my time in the foster care system was spent in overcrowded group homes with a bunch of neglected kids who had issues that no one cared about. The moment I turned seventeen I was out of there and I didn’t look back.”

After hearing Jordan’s story Beth felt terrible for the way she treated him. All he wanted was to find his mother and finally have a place he could call home.

“I’m so sorry Jordan. I feel like such a brat. Here I am treating you like crap and you’ve already been through so much.” Beth sincerely felt bad for her actions the past two weeks.

“It’s all good Beth.” Jordan assured her.

“No it’s not, I was wrong Jordan.” Beth wanted to make it clear to him that she was ashamed of her actions. “I never took the time to consider what you went through before getting here.”

“Thank you Beth. I really appreciate that.” Jordan said, sending a smile Beth’s way and she sent one back to him.

“So we're cool now?” Jordan asked. Holding out his fist for Beth to bump.

“Yeah we're cool.” Beth bumped her fist against Jordan’s.

“Now if I could just get Rachel to see that I’m not that bad, maybe she wouldn’t hate me as much.” Jordan didn’t know how Rachel truly felt about him. All he knew was that Rachel pretty much didn’t even acknowledge his existence. He couldn’t blame her though after everything that was revealed.

“That’s not true. Mom is the sweetest person on earth, she could never hate anyone. She probably just doesn’t know what to say. I mean how do you start a conversation with your wife’s long lost son.” Beth explained. It was a really awkward situation for everyone involved.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right about that.” Jordan agreed.

“Of course I’m right. So don't worry about it. Mom will talk to you when the time is right.” 

“Okay.” Jordan nodded.

“Well I’m going downstairs to bowl with the little trolls, join us when you’re done in here.” Beth announced before strutting out of the kitchen and down the hall.

Jordan was left alone in the kitchen with his food and his thoughts. Beth’s change of attitude and what she said about Rachel gave him a little more optimism. Maybe one day he could really become a part of their family instead of feeling like an outsider.

———

“Rachel! Quinn! Look over here!” Multiple photographers screamed over and over again as the married couple strolled down the red carpet. White flashes came from every direction as the two of them posed as the happy couple for every camera in sight. 

Rachel and Quinn held on tightly to each other’s arms as they walked down the red carpet. Wrapping their arms around each other’s waist when it was time to pose for pictures. Whispering and giggling flirtatiously in each other’s ears. They put on a show in front of the cameras and Quinn was enjoying every moment of it, even though she knew it was all fake.

“Rachel Berry, can we get a quick interview!” A young brunette reporter called out to Rachel from the fray of photographers and reporters.

Rachel walked over to the young reporter, hand in hand with Quinn.

“Oh my god, thank you so much for coming to talk to us.” The young reporter couldn’t contain her excitement. This was her first interview with a big time celebrity like Rachel.

“Of course, it’s no problem at all.” Rachel’s cheeks were starting to hurt from all the fake smiling she was doing.

“I’m Harper Rae from Unlock Hollywood and I would like to first say that the two of you look absolutely stunning.” Harper complimented. Her eyes wander back and forth between Quinn and Rachel.

“Thank you so much.” Quinn responded politely.

“That is very sweet, thank you.” Rachel added.

Harper cleared her throat before speaking. “So, this is a fantastic movie about two strangers who fall in love through writing each other love letters. So my question for the two of you, if you could write a love letter to each other right now what would it say?”

“Wow that’s a really good question.” Rachel admitted. 

Quinn thinking quick on her feet, spoke up first. “Well mine would say. Dear Rachel, I have loved you from the very first time I saw you. From the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew I would someday make you my wife. You are my soulmate and I don’t mean that loosely. You are literally the other half of me and I will love you not only in this life but the next one as well. You have shown me the purest form of love and I am forever grateful to be loved by you. You are the river that runs through my soul and I love you more each and every day.”

Tears began to form at the corners of Rachel’s eyes after listening to her wife’s words. Quinn took her fingers and gently wiped away Rachel’s tears before they had a chance to fall.

“Oh my god Ms. Fabray, that was absolutely beautiful.” Harper said. Tears had formed in her eyes as well but she quickly wiped them away, wanting to stay as professional as possible. 

“I don’t even think I can follow that.” Rachel tried to play it off but in reality she just didn’t think she would be able to talk about her love for Quinn. If she did she would just end up breaking down in the middle of the red carpet.

“That’s okay Rachel, thank you both so much for taking the time to stop by.” Harper thanked the two of them.

“Anytime.” Rachel said politely before taking Quinn’s hand and briskly walking away. 

Quinn thought Rachel would have something to say but Rachel didn’t say anything else to her for the rest of the premiere. She just wore a blank expression on her face the whole time. It was as if someone had turned a switch off in her head. 

After the movie premiere Rachel kept her promise and went to dinner with Quinn. 

Both Quinn and Rachel ordered a glass of red wine and once the waitress left an awkward silence fell between them. Rachel hadn’t said much of anything to Quinn the whole night.

“So that was a really good movie, did you enjoy it?” Quinn asked, desperate to spark up some conversation. 

Rachel took a slow sip of her wine. “Yes, it was very romantic.” 

“Did you-.”

“That was a very romantic answer you gave during the interview.” Rachel interrupted Quinn.

“Oh..thanks, I meant every word.” Quinn proclaimed.

“I can tell.” Rachel took a big gulp of wine this time. “That’s why I want you to move out after the boys party.”

Quinn leaned forward in her chair. “Rachel what are you talking about? You just told me you believed everything I said.” Quinn was beyond confused. 

“I do and that’s why I need you to move out. If you can feel that way about me and still lie to me then how can I trust you? You had so many opportunities throughout the years to tell me the truth but you never did. The night we got back together I asked you to be honest with me and you deliberately chose to lie. How can I trust you now, knowing you lied to me for so long.”

“Because I made a mistake Rachel. I made a really big mistake and I wished I was honest with you from the beginning. I just knew how much it would hurt you if I told you the truth. I didn’t want to lose you again.”

“We broke up Quinn. I would have been hurt at first but we weren’t together at the time so I would have gotten over it.” Rachel whispered, not wanting the tables around them to hear their conversation.

“I understand that now but back then I just didn’t want to risk it. I’m so sorry that I didn’t tell you the truth but I love you Rachel. We’ve built such a great life together, please don’t throw that away because of one mistake.”

Rachel shook her head. “I need my space Quinn. I don’t know for how long but right now I just need time away from you.”

Quinn had told Rachel that she would give her space if she needed it. Now that Rachel actually wanted to follow through with it, Quinn couldn’t think of a worst idea. 

“Rachel, please don’t do this.” Quinn begged. She reached across the table to interlace their fingers but Rachel pulled her hand away.

“Quinn just stop.” Rachel demanded. “I love you but I need space. I need time to feel and heal Quinn. You have to understand that. So please..either you leave or I will.”

Quinn leaned back in her chair. She couldn’t believe that it was actually happening. The perfect life she thought she had was slipping through her fingers and it was nothing she could do to stop it from happening.

“Fine..I’ll pack my things tonight.”


End file.
